Dodgers News: LA gets bad news on Jason Heyward and Ryan Brasier

The Dodgers seem to be back to their winning ways after a curiously bad April. After sweeping the Giants to kick off the month, they then proceeded to lose four of five series before finally snapping out of their stupor during a visit to Washington, where they punched back at the same Nationals who'd beat them twice at home just a week before.

Things are still far from perfect for this Dodgers team, though. The bats have found some life down in the bottom of the lineup, but there are still issues with hitting with runners in scoring position everywhere. The bullpen is still leading MLB in innings pitched and are sitting at 18th in ERA.

There's been a steady flood of injury news as well, none of which bodes particularly well. Last week, Brusdar Graterol was shut down from his throwing progression for a second time, and a similar piece of information has come down about Jason Heyward, benched on April 3 with lower back tightness.

Heyward was expected to rejoin the team during their series against the Diamondbacks this week, but he was nowhere to be found. Dave Roberts said that Heyward isn't bouncing back as anticipated, and is out of "baseball activities" entirely for now.

Andy Pages has been more than holding down Heyward's spots lower in the lineup and in the outfield, but this prolonged injury is still far from ideal for Heyward, who's only a Dodger through the end of this season.

Dodgers news: Jason Heyward is delayed again, Ryan Brasier goes onto the IL

In more grim news, the bullpen is taking another hit. On Monday, Ryan Brasier was moved to the 15-day IL (retroactive to April 28) with a calf strain, which Roberts said was sustained while he was running during warm ups. He's reportedly scheduled for an MRI, never a good sign, on Wednesday, and the Dodgers will decide where to go from there.

Brasier hasn't been quite as good to start the season as he was to end 2023 with the Dodgers, when he pitched 38 2/3 innings for a 0.70 ERA that earned him a one-year deal for 2024. He's pitched 11 2/3 innings so far this season, and his 4.63 ERA isn't exactly a help to the Dodgers' rough bullpen stats.

However, losing Brasier is still a massive blow to a Dodgers team that has relied on bullpen/opener days a lot so far this season. Maybe those Kenley Jansen trade rumors won't seem so farfetched for much longer.